Weighing in on the Game Two officiating and Habs coaching

Many feel Canadiens coach Jacques Martin’s lack of challenging the officiating (seen here with Florida) could lead to the team’s playoff downfall.

Thought the officiating sucked and that Canadiens coach Jacques Martin needs to grow a set behind the bench? Well you’re not alone!

Usually I can let a bad call, or two slide in the regular season. When it comes to the playoffs, it’s time for the referees to sharpen their game and call a balanced game.

Saturday’s Game Two between the Montreal Canadiens and Washington Capitals was clearly a demonstration of not doing that.

By the time the game ended in a 6-5 overtime win for the Capitals, Robert Lefebvre of Habs Eyes on The Prize was already on the attack, citing the officiating as a railroad job.

Not to be outdone, a fellow goalie and legal eagle (only he’s a lawyer, not me) HabsFanForever33 aka Panger (HFF33) from Four Habs Fans brings to light the Mike Knuble butt slam in the face of Jaroslav Halak

HFF33 looks at NHL rule 69 and highlights the key notes that were clearly overlooked Saturday night.

TSN’s Darren Pang was livid over what happened in front of Halak at the end of the second period, backing up the rule by breaking down the play. If I can get a video clip of this, I will add it.

West coast Habs blogger Dennis Kane weighed in with a quote from The Province’s Tony Gallagher. I added a link to Mr. Gallagher’s full article as well.

Earlier this morning, I received an email from Daniel Grosso who did an excellent job of breaking down the questionable and missed calls after the Canadiens built a 4-1 lead.

Daniel noted six separate questionable moments in the final 22 minutes. His full write up can be found here.

On the flip side, Topham from Lions in Winter made a valid comment to Daniel’s post, noting that there were questionable calls on both ends, but that the Canadiens coaching is also part of the issue:

Instead of an inquiry into the NHL officiating, I suggest an inquiry into Montreal coaching after this one.

NHL refs have reffed in this way for as long as I can remember, it's the important game syndrome. They seem to feel they don't want to end the game one way or the other because of a penalty, instead preferring to end the game one way with no calls.

Montreal has to understand this, and more importantly work in this framework.

Don't allow Halak to be pushed, push around Varlamov, hook, interfere, generally play to the rules being reffed rather than those in the book.

That said, where was Jacques Martin during these infractions? A former goalie himself, you’d thing he’d be up on the bench either yelling at the officials or at least trying to get an explanation.

He didn’t, simply because he doesn’t, and it cost him. He’s no Dick Irvin, Toe Blake, Pat Burns or John Tortarella on the emotional side, that’s for sure. You know, coaches that have won a Stanley Cup.

During Sundays’ media conference, Martin was confronted with the numerous times that Halak was pushed in front of his net.

His response was simply this, “I have faith that the officials will make the right calls.” Huh? That’s it?

Again Robert puts in some very solid arguments to wake up the Habs bench boss.

Many feel that coaches and players are now afraid to comment or dispute a referees call without repercussions from the NHL or get the cold shoulder in future games.

In the comments on Robert’s post, I noted the NHL rulings on coaches comments that fall under Rules 40 and 75. You’ll find it below was well.

75.1 Unsportsmanlike Conduct – Players, goalkeepers and non-playing Club personnel are responsible for their conduct at all times and must endeavor to prevent disorderly conduct before, during or after the game, on or off the ice and any place in the rink. The Referees may assess penalties to any of the above team personnel for failure to do so.
NOTE: When such conduct is directed at an official, Rule 40 – Abuse of Officials shall be applied.

75.3 Bench Minor Penalty – A bench minor penalty for unsportsmanlike conduct shall be assessed under this rule for the following infractions:
(i) When a player, goalkeeper, Coach or non-playing Club personnel throws any object onto the ice from the players’ or penalty bench (or from any other off-ice location) during the progress of the game or during a stoppage of play.
(ii) Any unidentifiable player or goalkeeper, or any Coach or non-playing Club personnel uses obscene, profane or abusive language or gesture directed towards any person.
(iii) Whenever Coaches and/or non-playing Club personnel uses obscene or profane language or gestures anywhere in the rink.

75.5 Game Misconduct Penalty – Game misconduct penalties shall be assessed under this rule for the following infractions:

(iii) Coaches and non-playing Club personnel who have previously been assessed a bench minor penalty for the use obscene or profane language or gestures anywhere in the rink. A confidential report to the Commissioner shall be completed and filed with the League for possible further disciplinary action.

(v) Any player, goalkeeper or non-playing Club personnel who directs obscene, profane or abusive language or gestures to any person after the expiration of the game. This action may occur on or off the ice.

Any player, goalkeeper or non-playing Club personnel penalized under this section may be subject to supplemental discipline under Rule 29.

Rule 40 – Abuse of Officials

40.1 General Description –A player, goalkeeper, Coach or non-playing person shall not challenge or dispute the rulings of an official before, during or after a game. A player, goalkeeper, Coach or non-playing person shall not display unsportsmanlike conduct including, but not limited to, obscene, profane or abusive language or gestures, comments of a personal nature intended to degrade an official, or persist in disputing a ruling after being told to stop or after being penalized for such behavior.

NOTE: When such conduct is directed at anyone other than an official, Rule 75 – Unsportsmanlike Conduct shall be applied.

40.3 Bench Minor Penalty – A bench minor penalty for unsportsmanlike conduct shall be assessed under this rule for the following infractions:

(i) Any Coach or non-playing person who bangs the boards with a stick or other object at any time, showing disrespect for an official’s decision. If this is done in order to get the attention of the on-ice officials for a legitimate reason (i.e. serious injury, illness, etc.), then discretion must be exercised by the Referees.

(ii) Any unidentifiable player or goalkeeper, or any Coach or non-playing person who uses obscene, profane or abusive language or gesture directed at an on or off-ice official or uses the name of any official coupled with any vociferous remarks. (see also 40.5 (ii))

(i) Any player, goalkeeper, Coach, or non-playing person interferes in any manner with any game official including the Referees, Linesmen, Game or Penalty Timekeepers or Goal Judges in the performance of their duties.

40.5 Game Misconduct Penalty – Game misconduct penalties shall be assessed under this rule for the following infractions:

(ii) When a Coach or non-playing person uses obscene, profane or abusive language or gesture directed at any on or off-ice official or uses the name of any official coupled with any vociferous remarks, after already being assessed a bench minor penalty (40.3 (ii)), this Coach or non-playing person is to be assessed a game misconduct and the situation reported to the Commissioner for further action. When this type of conduct occurs after the expiration of the game, on or off the ice, the game misconduct shall be applied without the necessity of having been assessed a bench minor penalty previously.

(vi) Any player, goalkeeper, Coach or non-playing person who throws or shoots any equipment or other object in the general direction of an official but does not come close to making any contact. This action may occur on or off the ice.

Maybe coach Martin should re-read the rule book and realize it’s ok to yell at a ref, or question a call within reason.

Do it the right way and you earn the respect of the officials. Just don’t do it the wrong way and call him an a-hole or tell him to eat a donut!

A dubious distinction for AK46: Andre Kostitsyn became the 20th playerr for the Montreal Canadiens to record a hat-trick in the playoffs. Only problem is, he’s the first to do it when the Habs lost.

Here’s the full list from Sports-Labs.com

Habs Buy Out Laraque: Adieu Big Georges, Thanks For……

Well I was going to discuss Carey Price’s “George Jones” impression last night, after the Montreal Canadiens goaltender didn’t speak to the media after Wednesday’s 4-3 overtime loss to St. Louis, but I found bigger fish to fry.

What a big one it was Thursday morning, when the story broke that the Canadiens heavyweight Georges Laraque from his contract.

Laraque was in his second year of a three-year, $4.5 million deal, and will be paid for the remainder of the 2009 season, when he is officially bought out. As part of the buy out, he will receive two thirds of his 2010-11 salary paid over two seasons.

Laraque was the first to respond, telling TSN that he learned of the buyout on his way to Canadiens practice via phone call from GM Bob Gainey.

Laraque called the move classless, given the emotional stress he was under with the tragedies going on in Haiti, and called out coach Jacques Martin as being behind the move.

He went on to say that Martin had not discussed any of his issues with him personally.

“Jacques Martin doesn't like me and doesn't believe in toughness,” Laraque said. “To do this in the midst of all I'm dealing with in Haiti, the timing is awful. Needless to say, I'm very disappointed.”

Both Gainey and Martin voiced their side to the story at the team’s practice facility in Brossard.

Gainey states that he “met” with the enforcer, and told him the decision was made due to lack of productivity on Laraque’s part and that he was a distraction to the team.

Trading Laraque, or putting him on waivers, was ruled out by Gainey due to a no-movement clause in his contract.

Gainey went on to define the type of player he thought he was getting when he signed Laraque, based on players he’d seen before him.

“My view of a player in that roll, and is how they can be productive, and bring confidence and a comfort level to their team. Drawing away from your team is not productive.”

He also stated that the decision to release him were made prior to the Haiti earthquakes. Laraque had claimed that he was asked by the Canadiens if he needed some time off over the situation.

Like any business, an employee who experiences a close to home tragedy, won’t be fired the next day. It’s just not classy, Georges.

Laraque visits  a donor at the Canadiens annual Blood Drive

Gainey also discussed Laraque’s infamous code when it comes to fighting.

“I don’t have a copy of George’s code, I think the code is ‘It’s your teammates that' you’re hear for’. It isn’t your code, it’s our code.”

Martin added that it was not a personal decision, but a team one.

Laraque, at a Montreal Canadiens Children’s Charities event, in 2009.

“I don't have anything personal against Georges and I appreciate what he did for the organization, but we've decided to go in a different direction," Martin said.

"It's a hockey decision.  We felt that he was not helping our team to win games. The Red Wings, I don't think they have an enforcer and they've won some Cups. It depends on your team and where you are at in your development. The game has changed and speed has become a major factor.  It's nice to have, but it's not a necessity as some teams have proven."

“I’ll never forget the support of that fans,” a calmer Laraque told the Montreal media later Thursday afternoon, after he stopped by the team’s practice facility, to say good-bye to his teammates and wish them well for the rest of the season.

“I was proud to be putting the jersey on and been given the chance to play in front of my friends and family in Montreal.”

Georges Laraque speaks to the media after being bought out by the Canadiens

“I wish I know what ‘distraction’ means”, he added. “I always had a positive attitude, and never been a negative person, or done things to embarrass the team.”

Laraque then cited his accomplishments in the community since joining the Canadiens.

There is no question that Georges Laraque’s charitable endeavors are always there. He was always available when called on for team-related events, as seen in some of the photos seen here.

George Laraque leaves the Canadiens Brossard practice facility – AP photo

Nor did we hear any associations with criminal elements, or late-night partying in Montreal on his part…

Ok yes there was that controversial beverage drink commercial, but Laraque had his name pulled from that shortly after.

The distraction was, as Gainey noted, in his lack of productivity in his element on the ice.

In two seasons with Montreal, Laraque played 61 injury riddled games and logged in 89 penalty minutes and just five points.

Now he’s no sniper, but throughout his career Laraque was always in double digits in scoring. He even admitted embarrassment that it took until last week to register his first goal with Montreal.

Georges Laraque appeared off to a positive start in the Canadiens season opener

Laraque had 13 major penalties in his two seasons in Montreal. He had 15 in 71 games with the Penguins in 2007-08, but had over 140 penalty minutes. Clearly he was more of a presence then, even in light of the instigator and third-man-in rules of today’s NHL.

Laraque tries to talk up the Bruins Milan Lucic into a round of fisticuffs in  November 2008. Lucic declined.

His refusal to drop the gloves when needed, or stir up the pot with a big hit finally wore it’s toll with Gainey and co. Sunday’s game against New York, where Josh Georges and Benoit Pouliot had to fend for themselves, was the final straw.

Laraque says he’ll be back in the NHL in due time. The question is, who’ll want him? Well,I think we might know one guy.

Remember when?: Laraque’s frustrations in Montreal stem back to February of 2009. At that time, he reportedly requested a trade in response to then Canadiens coach Guy Carbonneau’s “limited use of his skills”.  Ironically Carbonneau acknowledged that a team needs to be tough at times. Laraque later retracted some of his comments.

Classy update: In an exchange of emails this afternoon/evening with CJAD’s play-by play man  Rick Moffat, I learned that Laraque told the media that he never called the Canadiens classless as reported earlier.

Puck Possession: A Missing Factor in the Habs Season

Canadiens coach Jacques Martin uses a puck possession system, really?

Speaking to the media before Tuesday’s game against the Washington Capitals, GM Bob Gainey felt the game against Washington would show where his team’s limits are.

“We’re in a race with a lot of teams (eight or nine), for three or four limited spots,” he said, “Our play reflects that’s where we should be.”

The Canadiens surely found their limits in Tuesday’s 4-2 loss to the contending Capitals. Washington fired 42 shots at Carey Price, missed the net 19 times, and had 18 blocked.

That’s a total of 80 discs of frozen rubber in the direction of the Canadiens net. By comparison, Montreal had just 52. Keep in mind that this is a team that had their best player, Andrei Markov, back on the ice.

Gainey also noted that when they face the seven or eight teams vying for the those four playoff slots, the Canadiens need to take them on head-to-head.

So for 2010, the Canadiens are 0-2, both against top-eight teams, and are 6-18 overall against Top-15 teams in the league.

Gainey knows his squad is not a top tier team, but can contend for the playoffs. As we all know, once the playoffs begin, it’s a whole new season.

Injuries aside, the biggest concern with the Canadiens right now is puck possession.

When Jacques Martin was hired as head coach of the Montreal Canadiens, he saw his new team as a puck possession based squad.

Gainey, in the introductory press conference, said how he was always impressed by Martin’s defensive and possessive coaching style.

That was reiterated by Martin on Wednesday after the team’s off-ice workouts. The coach defines his system in this audio sound byte courtesy of HabsInsideOut.com

Well folks, we’re 45 games into the season, sitting miraculously at .500.

There is no stat in the NHL to calculate time of possession, it would be difficult with all the loose pucks, but give it time. The available statistics do show that the Canadiens’ puck possession game is clearly not there.

The Canadiens rank second last in shots for, with 27.3 on average, and are tied with Anaheim for third in shots allowed (32.8).

It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure that those numbers show that the Canadiens are a lot less in control of game flow than their opponents.

Nor does it help the possession factor when they are the third most penalized team, in terms of minor penalties, in the league. That heavily contributes to Montreal  being shorthanded a league-leading 193 times.

Play like that offsets their top-ranked power-play unit, where 33 of the team’s 112 goals (27th overall) come from.

Habs fans can enter their complaints about the calls by the referees to their heart’s content, but discipline is always the factor in a minor penalty.

Now that the key players are all healthy, Kostitsyn brothers the current exception, the Canadiens have 37 games to improve their possession game before the second season. If they don’t it may be an early golf season instead.

Talking to Hockey Central (Rogers Sportsnet, Fan590) on Wednesday afternoon, Martin remains optimistic that the team’s upcoming home stand will put his team in the right direction.

The Canadiens play their next four games, and six of their next eight, at the Bell Centre. Montreal has lost their last four home games.

Kostitsyn Injury Update: Jacques Martin cancelled Wednesday’s practice in favour of off-ice workouts, and a team meeting.

Sergei Kostitsyn did skate for just over a half hour, in a track suit, to gauge the injury to his left ankle. He was joined on the ice by the team’s head athletic therapist Graham Rynbend.

It is unlikely that he or brother Andre (lower body) will play in Thursday’s game against the Florida Panthers.

Dickie Moore (l), Jacques Plante (c), and Floyd Curry during the Habs dynasty era.

This Day in Habs History:  On January 6, 1963, Jacques Plante became the 4th goaltender, in NHL history, to record 300 wins with a 6-0 shutout victory over the New York Rangers.

It is also Habs legend Dickie Moore’s 79th birthday.

Habs Need Shots on Goal and Commitment Markov Back Saturday?

“How can you score, if you don’t shoot?” – Bernie “Boom-Boom” Geoffrion

Thursday night’s loss by the Montreal Canadiens, to the Minnesota Wild, is clearly a disappointment as their losing streak mounts to five games.

It was another one of those games when the team showed up for two periods.

While first period was a mess for the Habs, the final forty minutes was a much better story.

The Canadiens managed to get a dozen shots, in each of the final periods, at Niklas Backstrom and 31 on the night along with 18 blocked shots, and 15 that missed the net.

Unfortunately a hot Backstrom, combined with a defense that can clear rebounds, spelled a loss.

For the first time in ten games, Montreal actually outshot their opponent.

Outside of the injury factor, the lack of shots on goal has been one of Montreal’s biggest problems in 2009-10.

Canadiens coach Jacques Martin addressed the situation last week after his team’s loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins.

Martin noted that the Penguins find ways to get the puck to the net and that “If it’s good enough for the Stanley Cup Champions, then it’s good enough for the Montreal Canadiens.”

Montreal currently ranks 29th in the league in shots-per-game with 26.8. Conversely the injury depleted team is 9th in shots against at 31.1.

That’s just under a five shot differential. Five more opportunities for the opponent to score, not including misses or blocks.

Once you realize that 22 of the Canadiens’ 36 games this season have been one-goal games, that differential could make the difference to a team that is 9-9-2 in those situations.

The Canadiens, notably the second and third lines, need to try not to use set plays as often as they appear to be doing and just get pucks on the net.

Do that, and the probability of a goal, and a win, is clearly much better.

Another factor, which demonstrates a team’s commitment to playing a full game, is their record when scoring first.

Montreal is 4-15-2 when their opponent scores first. That’s fourth worst in the league.

Add to that their record when trailing after 40 minutes is 2-14-1, and 8-0-0 when leading, and you get the picture.

Get the shot totals up, keep a full pace, and the remaining 46 games should be much better.

The Canadiens now embark on a seven-game road trip to close out 2009. All seven are against Eastern Conference teams.

Markov and Gionta Updates: Andrei Markov has been cleared for contact play by team doctors. It will be Jacques Martin’s decision whether to start him on Saturday against the Islanders.

Brain Gionta continues his rehab on his broken foot. The left winger skated in Brossard Friday, for about 30 minutes, with the Canadiens head athletic therapist.

There is still no updates on defenceman Roman Hamrlik’s injury.

Back to the Hammer: Forward Tom Pyatt and defenseman Yannick Weber were returned to the Hamilton Bulldogs Friday morning. This is Weber’s second call-up and return, without playing a game, in two weeks.

With Markov’s potential return, and Pyatt’s demotion, Marc-Andre Bergeron could be moved to forward during the road trip.

The Canadiens at The First Quarter Mark: Call 911 !!

Is it just a coincidence that the Montreal Canadiens record at the quarter season mark is 9-11? I don't think so.

Saturday night's embarassing loss to the Nashville Predators put an exclamation point on the start to the Habs 2009-10 season.

Playing one of the worst offences in the NHL, the Canadiens allowed 55 Predator shots to get at Carey Price. 55!

Leave it to the typical Price bashers who pounced on him during "live blogs" that the first one he let in was a softie. Jacques Plante could have let in a soft one last night, it wouldn't have mattered, ditto for Dryden, Roy, Vezina, etc.

Price was again hung out to dry by his team much like he was the Vancouver Canucks earlier this season. Only difference is, these were the Nashvile Predators shooting the pucks.

Number 31 kept his team in the game for 60 minutes and the offense never had one seriously decent scoring opportunity.

The Canadiens have now been shutout twice in three games and have six goals in their last five games in regulation play. One of those was an empty net goal Thursday against Phoenix.

The loss of Brian Gionta, prior to Saturday night's game, pretty much nullified the Canadiens top scoring line, not to mention losing their best two-way forward.

So what did the the remaining dozen forwards do out there, step it up? No, instead they just let the Predators do what they wished with the puck. You would have thought that the "Gui" who was to be scratched that night would have been an over-acheivers Saturday, right?

Just imagine what teams like Carolina, Washington and Detroit would do in these situations. I guess we'll find out this week.

You have to wonder if Steve Sullivan gets 11 shots and scores twice, then what could real snipers like Ovechkin or Datsyuk do if given the same number of attempts.

Many of the Canadiens problems lie in their defensive injuries as Jaroslav Spacek, Paul Mara and Roman Hamrlik are becoming workhorses out there. That will only hold up for so long, and Saturday's game could be a sign they are wearing down.

After that, with the exception of Josh Gorges, the defense corps is ECHL quality at the best of times.

In all likelihood, coach Martin will be bag-skating his boys later Sunday morning in an effort to wake them up.

Barring a therapy day, Carey Price will be forced to be right in there with them.

Maybe coach Martin should give them all (except Price) a glass of milk after the skate. That way they'll know how he and his goalie felt after Saturday night.

With his contract going into RFA status at the end of the season, you really have to wonder if Price even wants to remain in Montreal after what he has endured so far this season.

Perhaps the next 20 games will give us some answers.

Photo: Getty Images

Kiprusoff Blanks the Canadiens 1-0

It’s bad enough that the Montreal Canadiens offence is struggling, but when a former all-star goalie brings his  A-game, you know it could be a long night.

Miikka Kiprusoff had a 25-save effort, earning his 200th career win, to lead his Calgary Flames to a 1-0 at the Bell Centre.

The Flames essentially dominated Montreal in the first twenty minutes, with a 13-9 shot advantage.

Calgary scored the only game of the game, at 14:55 of the first period, when captain Jarome Iginla put a screen shot past Jaroslav Halak.

Late in the period the Flames remained in control when they had a full power play in the Canadiens end.

The Habs came out in the second period, challenging the Flames physical play, and were outhitting them 19-16 after two periods.

Montreal’s offense had it’s chances, including a breakaway opportunity by Scott Gomez, but Kiprusoff continued to shut the door.

The Canadiens had an excellent opportunity to tie it up, with a late power play in the third period, but could not solve the Finnish netminder, who earned his 31st career shutout.

“It’s frustrating when we can’t put a goal on the board,” said Canadiens forward Mike Cammalerri. “We gotta create more chances offensively.”

The former Flame acknowledged the team’s successful penalty killing unit (0 goals allowed in 6 chances), but noted the importance to stay out of the box in a one-goal game.

“In a game like tonight, it kills a lot of momentum,” he said. “It’s hard to get puck time when we’re sitting in the box.”

Canadiens coach Jacques Martin echoed his winger’s concern. “Once or twice we took penalties after some good shifts,” he said.

“Sometimes even if the opposition doesn’t score, you lose your momentum.”

Martin also commented on his teams struggling power play that went 0 for 3 Tuesday night. “It’s a concern. Most games are determined by two factors, special teams and goaltending,” he said.

“We need to have better execution and traffic in front of the net.”

Goaltending clearly was not the problem for the Canadiens, on Tuesday night, thanks to Jaroslav Halak’s 30-save performance.

“It’s tough (to lose a one-goal game) but it happens,” Halak said. “You need to find a way to score a goal.”

Halak also commented on the tweet left by his agent on Saturday.

“Obviously he wrote something he shouldn’t,” he said. “I found out on Sunday. It’s got nothing to do with me. I try to control what I say, and that’s the bottom line”

Halak also said he has not talked to Carey Price about the incident, “I think he knows that I’ve got nothing to do with it.”

Montreal has lost three straight at home, while Calgary (11-4-1) now rides a four-game winning streak.

The Canadiens record falls to 8-10-2 and is a disappointing  0-5 against Western Conference teams this season.

Montreal will head off to to Phoenix, for a game against the Coyotes, on Thursday, and to Nashville,Saturday, to face the Predators.

Three Stars:  1. Miikka Kiprusoff 2. Jaroslav Halak 3. Jarome Iginla

Photos: Montreal Gazette

Winning Streak takes pressure off Montreal Canadiens, for now.

Well the Montreal Canadiens have taken their fans out of panic mode for the time being.

After picking up two wins to start the season, the Habs went on a five-game nose dive that had some fans screaming for GM Bob Gainey’s head.

Well what a difference four games can make. The Canadiens came alive and they are on a four-game winning streak.

Yeah OK two games were against the New York Islanders, but to lose just one of those games would spell disaster. A slumping team needs a big win over a lesser team to boost morale.

Montreal also dispatched a hot Atlanta Thrashers team and overcame two 2-goal leads against the offensively charged New York Rangers on Saturday.

Many fans and media feel the team will really come together at the 15 or 20 game mark. After all, this is a new roster that didn’t really play as a complete unit in the pre-season. You have to remember the camp was split into three squads in camp and two teams during the pre-season games.  So the final roster never formed until after the last pre-season game and their team bonding trip.

The Canadiens get some real tests to end October with games against the defending Stanley Cup Champs (Pittsburgh), an up and coming western conference team (Chicago) and their greatest rival (Toronto).

Who’s Number One?: Right now it looks like Jaroslav Halak is. Halak has been between the pipes in for each of the Canadiens’ last four wins.

Coach Jacques Martin seems to be going with the hot goalie for time being but said he is taking it one game at a time, confirming the team needs two goalies to be successful this season.

Carey Price clearly was not to blame in the Canadiens early struggles, but sitting out “The Franchise” four straight raises eyebrows. Some fans question his work ethic, which his something Martin takes seriously. See: Kostitsyn, Sergei.

I think this is the first time Price has missed four straight starts without being injured….. Hmmm maybe that is where the problem truly lies. Perhaps a minor injury is keeping the Habs No. 1 pick in 2005 on the shelf?

Coach Martin will announce his starter against the Penguins on Wednesday.

Andrei, Andrei where art thou?: Not the All-Star Markov, whose shoes the other five blueliners on have filled admirably in his absence.  I’m talking about the other embattled Kostitsyn brother.

How is it that Tomas Plekanec (10 points in 11 games) has been spectacular since the departure of Alex Kovalev, yet his former line mate has floundered?

A few takes on AK46 from Eric Engels and All Habs.

Speaking of Sergei: The younger Kostitsyn missed the Hamilton Bulldogs game on Saturday against Texas. He is nursing a shoulder injury from Friday’s game against San Antonio. He is listed as day-to-day and was also reportedly fighting a flu bug. The Bulldogs (6-0-1)play Tuesday night in Houston.

Notes from Tuesday’s practice: Scott Gomez took a day off from the ice for a therapy day, as did Georges Laraque. Glen Metropolit is fighting a virus and spent the day at home.

Thanks for the chat: A big thanks to CBC.ca for inviting me as a panelist for Tuesday afternoons online chat about the Habs.

A replay of it is available here.

Will Habs fans try to remove Darcy Tuckers’ name from the new monument ?

The Montreal Canadiens will unveil a new monument Friday.

Montreal Mayor Gérald Tremblay, Canadiens president Pierre Boivin and ambassadors and representatives of the team will be on hand at 12:30 pm., at the Centennial Plaza, outside the Bell Centre. 

The new monument will list the names of every player who have played for the Canadiens in their first 100 years.

No word if Marc-André Fortier, the sculptor who created the monuments to Howie Morenz, Guy Lafleur, Maurice Richard and Jean Beliveau already in the plaza, was involved in the latest project.

Gotta wonder if Darcy Tucker’s name will be etched off, by fans, faster than Moses’ was by Pharoah from Egyptian records.

Again!, again!: Following their dismal performance against the Vancouver Canucks on Wednesday, coach Jacques Martin had his team back on the General Motors Place ice for a morning practice with a series of hard skating drills and one-one-one workouts.

“It was an old-school bag skate,” said winger Mike Cammalleri. “Every year you get at least one. We needed it.”

“It’s a message that a coach has to send,” said goalie Carey Price. “We have to be working hard in games or we’re going to be working hard in practice.”

After he was left hung out to dry by his team, Price punched a hole in the dressing room wall after Wednesday’s game.

The 22-year-old did find a positive to the lopsided outcome.

“I don’t like getting scored on,” he said. “But as long as you’re not giving up bad goals, at least you can build on it.”

We’re number 9! :  Spike.com, whose TV network’s creative genius thought Striperella and Gary the Rat were shows capable of competing in a Thursday primetime slot, list Habs fans as the ninth-most annoying in pro sports. The author needs to get some more accurate facts though. Apparently, we’re all French!

On this day in Habs history: Tough guy John Ferguson made his NHL debut. Ferguson was in his first fight, with Ted Green, just twelve seconds into the game and later scored two goals and an assist against the Boston Bruins.

At least his family showed up: Canucks 7 Canadiens 1

Henrik Sedin scores his first of two goals on Wed night. AP photo

Carey Price’s mother and father, Jerry and Linda, and numerous family and friends were in the seats of General Motors place to see the B.C native get his first NHL start in Vancouver.

Unfortunately, the rest of the Montreal Canadiens never showed up to support him.

The Vancouver Canucks walked through Montreal’s defense all night in a 7-1 pounding of the Canadiens.

The Canucks had six odd-man rushes in the first period alone, outshooting Montreal 14-4.

Ryan Kessler opened the scoring, for Vancouver at 13:50, splitting the Canadiens defense and beating Price, who made a valiant effort to attempt to make the save.

Mason Raymond then scored three minutes later, with a great up-ice rush off the boards and going five-hole on Price.

A wide open Steve Bernier closed out the scoring in the first with a power-play goal on a seeing-eye pass from Daniel Sedin.

Despite, outshooting the Canucks 13-0 to start the second period and an Andrei Kostitsyn power-play goal.

Henrik Sedin responded for Vancouver with two goals. The first one came on the power-play and the second coming on a highlight reel two-on-one break.

Michael Samuelsson added to the Vancouver lead at 11:39 of the third period, followed by Alex Burrows scored fourteen seconds later.

Montreal coach Jacques Martin had no choice but to pull the 22-year-old in favor of Jaroslav Halak.

It was a discouraging night for Price, who was 2-0 with a .951 SvPct going into the game.

“It’s right up there with the last road trip we came out here.” Price said noting his and the Canadiens’ struggles during last season’s western Canada road trip, where he only played part of third period in Vancouver.

“I battled as hard as I could. It’s pretty disappointing not being able to play, but this is even more disappointing.”

Price pointed no fingers at his teammates citing no excuses, however coach Martin felt otherwise.

“Carey kept us in,” he said. “I know that he’s disappointed he didn’t have better support from his teammates.”

The Canucks’ Roberto Luongo recovered from Monday’s humiliating 5-3 loss to Columbus on Monday and made 27 saves for the Canucks.

Montreal goes to 2-2 to start the season, while Vancouver racked up their first win in four tries.

The Canadiens will have an early morning practice in Vancouver before heading to Edmonton to prepare for a Saturday night game with the Oilers.

Three Stars: 1. Henrik Sedin  2. Daniel Sedin  3. Roberto Luongo

2009-10 Montreal Canadiens assembled!

 

Jacques Martin made his final cuts at the Montreal Canadiens training camp Tuesday afternoon.

Making there way out of Caledon, forwards Ben Maxwell and Tom Pyatt, defencemen Yannick Weber and Mathieu Carle, and goalie Curtis Sanford will not be riding the bus that takes the off ramp from the 410 to the 401 East tomorrow morning.

Instead they will continue south on the bus that takes them on the 403 to Hamilton. The Canadiens press release can be found here.

That leaves 23 players, including the injured Kyle Chipchura, on the Habs roster to begin the season.

Ladies and Gentlemen, in your best  Michel Lacroix voice…

Accueillons nos Canadiens!

Forwards:

# 13 Mike Cammalleri 
# 28 Kyle Chipchura
#36 Matt D'Agostini
#21 Brian Gionta
#91 Scott Gomez
#46 Andrei Kostitsyn
#40 Maxim Lapierre
#17 Georges Laraque
#84 Guillaume Latendresse
#15 Glen Metropolit
#32 Travis Moen
#67 Max Pacioretty
#14 Tomas Plekanec
#70 Gregory Stewart

Defencemen

#75 Hal Gill
#26 Josh Gorges
#44 Roman Hamrlik
#22 Paul Mara
#79 Andrei Markov
#3 Ryan O'Byrne
#6 Jaroslav Spacek

Goalies

#41Jaroslav Halak

#31Carey Price

Now if we only knew who the captain will be…..

Home on the Range: Canadiens spend some bonding time together

  So long as anyone resembling the men pictured above are nowhere near the Montreal Canadiens for the next three days, they should be fine for October 1.

Well it can’t be worse than a team bowling outing, right?

The Montreal Canadiens arrived Sunday evening at Teen Ranch in Caledon, ON. After a snack, had some time together and watched some football then headed to their rooms for the night.

With players four to six to a room, the next little while will be a little more close quarters than the players are now accustomed too.

The next three days will be composed of team practices in the morning along with professional speakers and therapists as well as some on-site free time for the players to get to know each other better.

Now as long as the motivational speaker’s name is not Matt Foley and Dr. Knobb (“The Natural”) isn’t there telling them that losing is a disease and that they should imagine that they are on a ship at sea, it should be a productive outing.

HabsInsideOut has day one audio from coach Jacques Martin as well as Matt D’Agostini, Max Pacioretty, Ryan O’Byrne and Georges Laraque.

One player on the Canadiens who did not make the trip was winger Sergei Kostitsyn who got a connecting bus, after being dropped off near Highways 410 and 401, to Hamilton.

The Belarusian was in coach Jacques Martin’s doghouse earlier last week and despite improved play in his last pre-season game, it was decided to send him down to the AHL.

“We have expectations and objectives that were laid out,” Martin said Monday.

“He (Kostitsyn) needs to understand what’s expected of a professional and we feel by being assigned to Hamilton that he can show he can play at this level. I think you have to reach a point sometime where it's not words, it's action (that's needed) to deliver a message.”

Rumors are already circulating, though denied by agent Don Meehan, that Kostitsyn is already talking to the KHL.

Hmmm anyone remember Pavel Valentenko???

Carey Price still No. 1 for the Canadiens: Jacques Martin

Despite a great pre-season from Jaroslav Halak (bottom), Canadiens coach Jacques Martin sill  has Carey Price as the No. 1 goalie for Montreal

A power outage in Brossard today cancelled the Montreal Canadiens’ practice, but coach Jacques Martin did talk to the media while players continued to workout in the naturally lit gym.

During the session, Martin essentially indicated that Carey Price, for time being, is still the No. 1 goaltender in Montreal.

It clears any speculations to who would take the starting roll, or if Martin might use a 1A, 1B tandem to start the season.

Many journalists and fans felt that the No. 1 spot was Price’s to lose, and looking at the pre-season thus far it would have looked that way.

But, while Halak has posted a 1.56 GAA and a .938 SvPct and Price appears to be struggling at 3.75 GAA and .875, one has to keep in mind that the Canadiens have only played six games and that Price was lit for 4 goals in forty minutes in one of those games.

As with pitchers in baseball, the pre-season essentially gets a goalie loosened up and prepared to play five to six games, or more, straight and avoid fatigue and potential injury. Nobody screamed if Nolan Ryan got shelled in a Cactus league game, right?

In light of Halak being designated the backup, for now, Martin said he likes seeing a battle between his goalies.

“Competition has always been healthy,” he said. “It helps the coaching staff when you have two goalies that are capable. They’re both young, getting better and pushing each other.”

The idea of battling goalies could be reminiscent of Ken Dryden and Michel Larocque’s during the Canadiens’ ‘70s dynasty.

Though Dryden was the designate No. 1, Larocque always stayed competitive in games, as well as in practice against Dryden.

Like his Hall of Fame counterpart, Price has not only the competition of Halak, but also the all-seeing eye that is comprised of the Montreal media and Canadiens fan base.

In Thursdays edition of his “6 Cities in 6 Days” feature, TSN analyst Bob McKenzie notes that Carey Price’s performance this season will be under the microscope first, and above all else.

“In a season full of Canadiens' shortcomings, the poor play of Price was as glaring as anything.

He was very good as a rookie, not very good as a sophomore, and where he goes in Year Three may well define him in the eyes of the Canadiens' fans.”

Mr. McKenzie’s article continues looks at other elements of the team, but his conclusion returns to the Habs’ No. 1 man between the pipes.

“But any way you slice it, it always comes back to Price and goaltending will either have to hold the fort while the Canadiens try to gel with their new teammates, or not be bad enough to discount any strong play if the team should come together quickly.

Honestly, I don't know what to make of a Montreal team with so many changes, but what I do know is that they're going to need A-level goaltending no matter what.”

Price is scheduled to start in the Canadiens last pre-season game Saturday against the Buffalo Sabres.

After that, the team will head to Caledon, ON for some team bonding and light workouts before the season begins on October 1st in Toronto.

Based on what he sees at the team outing, coach Martin feels he will find the team’s next captain.

Martin also said that with the exception of Kyle Chipchura, who is still waiting for medical clearance, the team on the ice Saturday should be close to the roster that he wants to start the season with.

The possibility of eight defencemen on the roster is also being thought over by the Habs coach, and he will stick with four lines given the league’s grueling schedule with the Olympics sandwiched in between.

More from the coach: Coach Martin addresses his team’s size issue on TSN.

Cut!: Mathieu Dandenault has been released by the San Jose Sharks following a tryout.

Kovalev, Fisher lead Senators to a thumping of the Habs

Alex Kovalev watches the puck trickle past Carey Price – Photo: Sun Media

Former Hab Alex Kovalev had a goal and an assist and Mike Fisher had a hat-tick and an assist as the Ottawa Senators beat the Montreal Canadiens 6-1 Saturday night in Kanata.

Unlike the night before at the Bell Centre, Scotiabank place was full of empty seats for the pre-season contest. I even checked the Senators ticket site and cold find 10th row seats in section 105 at 6pm.

The seats that were occupied had quite a lot of fans of the Bleu-Blanc et Rouge in them.

Kovalev heard the jeers of disgruntled Canadiens fans early in the game every time he touched the puck.

The Russian forward replied with a short-handed wrist shot through the legs of Carey Price to open the scoring.

“It was important to get the win,” he said. “We played a complete game.”

Kovalev tried to downplay the importance of playing his former team, but he had to have been surprised by the mixed reactions emanating from the crowd.

"I couldn't understand where I was playing - Ottawa, Montreal or somewhere in between," he said.

"It doesn't matter if they're cheering or booing, you know, you've got the crowd, you've got a lot of people who watched the game and that's what makes it exciting."

Montreal would score on the power-play later in the period when Jaroslav Spacek blasted a shot off the point to beat Pascal LeClaire.

Fisher scored on the man advantage for Ottawa late in the period.

Fisher and Peter Regin each scored even-strength goals in the second period. Fisher then got his trick in the third period, while Josh Hennessy closed out the scoring.

Pascal LeClaire made 23 saved and played the whole 60 minutes for the Senators.

Price struggled in the Canadiens net, making 12 saves on 16 shots through the first two periods.

“It’s gonna take a while to get back to md-season form,” he said. “We need to prepare a little bit better, it’s not an excuse.”

The Habs netminder was also asked on Kovalev scoring on him, having faced him in practice on several occasions in the past.

“It went straight through my legs,” he said. “He’s a good player and I’ve been watching him shoot for the last two years. Sometimes he’s gonna beat you. That’s what good players do. It’s something we’re going to have to get used to now.”

Cedric Desjardins stopped five of seven for Montreal in the third.

Eric Neilson, who dropped the gloves on three occasions in Friday’s win over the Senators, had a rematch with Matt Carkner early in the first period.

The aspiring Canadien’s tough guy’s discipline did not show up Saturday though, as he also left the Canadiens shorthanded twice and was in the penalty box when Fisher completed his hat trick.

“To me it’s about preparation,” said Canadiens head coach Jacques Martin. “ It doesn’t matter whether it’s pre-season or regular season. We had a good start, but there were some mistakes and they capitalized.”

Martin stated that he will go two more games before he begins cutting the roster down to size.

“That’s what training camp is for,” he said. You get to know your people, you take notice of what each individual brings, but you need to be ready on October 1st.”

The Canadiens play their next pre-season game Sunday, in Quebec City, against the Boston Bruins.

Canadiens and Senators set to go at it again

Max Pacioretty and Tomas Plekanec celebrate Brian Gionta’s goal Friday night - Photo:Sun Media

The Montreal Canadiens travelled to Kanata today for the second of their back-to back pre-season meetings with the Ottawa Senators.

“It’s definitely exciting",” said former Habs winger Alex Kovalev on facing his former team.

Kovalev did not play in Montreal Friday night, but if he had is way would have preferred to play in all six Senators pre-season games.

“We have many young guys trying to make the team,” he said. “..so it’s not my decision to make.”

Kovalev has been playing with fellow newcomer Jonathan Cheechoo, who was picked up in the Dany Heatley deal.

The Senators will be looking for their first pre-season win, after having three straight losses.

Ottawa coach Cory Clouston will be looking at tonight’s game very intently as the team begins trimming it’s roster.

"There's an opportunity for guys that play well tonight or might get another look," Clouston said “There's also a chance that somebody could play themself off this team.”

“Whether you are a vet or a young guy trying to make this team, these games mean something. We are looking at how hard they compete.”

The Senators coach also talked about the team’s lack of goal production.

“We’re getting chances, we’re just not scoring,” he said.

“We’ve hit eight posts in three games. It’s hard to explain. The positive is the chances are there. We’re just not scoring.”

Clouston also expects to let Pascal LeClaire play the full 60 minutes tonight in goal.

For the Canadiens, two hopefuls, who impressed coach Jacques Martin Friday, will start again tonight.

Ben Maxwell, who scored Montreal’s first goal Friday night will look to impress his coach further.

“You really get the sense of his nice progression,” said Martin.

“This is a solid two-way player with deceptive speed that he’s shown all through training camp. He worked really hard this summer and we’re seeing the results of that now.”

Eric Neilson, who logged 37 penalty minutes will also be out to terrorize the Senators for another night.

In the event Georges Laraque goes down to injury, it’s nice to see the Canadiens have another tough guy down the pipe.

Dave Stubbs of the Montreal Gazette had a great post-game chat with Neilson Friday, and I came across a quote from Sidney Crosby, his former teammate in Rimouski, on the Habs hopeful.

“He’s very tough. He and another guy shared the heavyweight crown in our league.

He’s not only tough but very fast. He’s not there just to fight, he can skate and he’s a good checker as well.

There are a lot of guys who are tough but have trouble playing hockey, he’s not one of those guys. He can play too.”

- Sidney Crosby 2005 interview with HFBoards

Sergei Kostitsyn has also been cleared by Canadiens’ team doctors for game play and is scheduled to play tonight

Game time is 7:00pm at Scotiabank Place.

Canadiens Lineup:

Goal: Price, Desjardins

Defence: O'Byrne, Spacek, Belle, Benoit, Anderson, Markov

Forwards: Cammalleri, D'Agostini, Lapierre, A. Kostitsyn, White, Maxwell, Johansson, Pacioretty, Stewart, S. Kostitsyn, Neilson, Gomez.

Gomez on playing in Montreal: Rocky Bonanno of NHL.com talks to the Canadiens center on looking forward to playing in Montreal.

Kovalev ne joue pas ce soir

Alex Kovalev  Photo: canoe.ca

Ottawa Senators GM Brian Murray has asked Alex Kovalev to take a night off tonight to think about his game.

Nah, just kidding.

But, the Senator’s prize free-agent signing will not be on the squad that faces his old team, the Montreal Canadiens, tonight at the Bell Centre.

We’ll see “L’Artiste” in action Saturday, when the teams meet at Scotiabank Place, saving the dramatic return to Montreal for the regular season.

The Sens have struggled in the pre-season, losing their first two games, to the Florida Panthers, and accumulated just two goals in those contests.

“It’s not “a worry, but it is an issue,” said Sens coach Cory Clouston.

Well he can’t blame it on any lack of effort from Dany Heatley now, can he?

Habs injuries: Laraque (lower body) ,Hamrlik (flu), Sergei  Kostitsyn and Kyle Chipchura still are awaiting doctors clearance for game play.

From the Sens Camp: A nice article on Senators goalie Pascal Leclaire, who looks forward to playing at least two periods in his home town.

Other Habs tidbits:

Dave Stubbs (habsinsideout.com) asks “What is wrong with this picture?”

Canadiens.com looks at Mike Cammalleri after his first pre-season game in a Habs jersey.

Jason at Flying Frenchmen is not big on a rotating captaincy.

Four Habs Fans get some input on coach Jacques Martin from bloggers for his former teams (Sens, Florida Panthers)

Lions in Winter has been looking, in depth, at the projected lines this season.

Montreal Canadiens Training Camp: Day Three

It was not to be a carbon copy of the last two mornings at the Canadiens Brossard practice facility.

While fans packed the stands, for a third day, to catch a glimpse of the team’s practice and inter-squad scrimmage, the media were eager to talk to Andrei Markov.

A story Tuesday morning, by the Montreal Gazette, reported that Markov had turned down the offer of captain for the storied franchise.

Eager journalists would have to wait until after the session to get some answers.

Today’s workouts would feature the final, two-period, scrimmage between Teams B and C.

Wearing the white practice jerseys, Team C opened the scoring in the first period when Brian Gionta made a flashy move, on a penalty shot, to get the puck past  Robert Mayer.

Mike Cammalleri would tie it at one after taking a cross crease pass from Scott Gomez.

It was Cammalleri’s second pairing with Gomez, in the scrimmages, and the winger is liking what he sees.

“We're starting to get more familiar with each other's game, he said.

“The key is to learn each other's strengths and each other’s game. Then you start making decisions based on instinct, instead of thinking about it, and at that point you become more effective.”

“They’ve got good speed. One’s a playmaker and ones a shooter,” said head coach Jacques Martin on the Gomez-Cammalleri combo. The coach expects that the two will start the pre-season with Andrei Kostitysn on the left wing.

It was all team C, the rest of the way, with goals from Andrew Conboy and Max Pacioretty for a 3-1 win.

“I’m happy with how I played both days,” said Pacioretty, who was impressed by the intensity of the first three days of camp.

“It’s great to see the guys, even the veterans, want to play that hard, even at camp.”

Team B claimed the “tournament title” based on goals four and against as all three teams had won a game apiece.

Gionta and Brock Trotter shared the “scoring title”, while Jaroslav Halak earned “top goalie” after playing shutout hockey during his two appearances.

Attention after focused on Markov, who stated that he had never been offered the captaincy.

“I was surprised cause nobody talked about that and nobody told me about that,” he said.

“It’s not my decision, it’s the coach’s decision. Nobody asked me that.”

Markov also talked about the importance of being the Canadiens captain, especially after the departure of Saku Koivu.

“I just know it’s a big responsibility, and I think it’s not easy to be a captain in front of you guys(media),” he said. “It’s something special to be a captain in Montreal.”

“The organization hasn’t offered Andrei the captaincy," said Jacques Martin, who then put an end to any speculation by announcing that he and GM Bob Gainey will make the decision on captain at the end of training camp.

Martin also defended his reasoning for selecting a captain over a team vote.

“It’s important that we have an individual that shares the same values, the same views, concerns and principles as the organization,” he said.

Mike Cammalleri also added that the position of captain is not currently an issue with the players.

“It hasn’t been such a big issue for us,” he said. “I’d be ok with it. We have enough leaders in this room that will step up and lead by example.”

Like Markov, Cammalleri acknowledged that captain of the Canadiens is a unique position in the NHL.

“It’s the Montreal Canadiens. There is a different level of responsibility that maybe comes with being captain of this organization as far as things outside of the room, such as media attention and things like that, that maybe aren’t present in other markets.”

Training camp resumes Wednesday (11am- 1:30pm), but will be four empty stalls in the dressing room areas tomorrow morning.

Goaltender Jason Missiaen, and blueliners Mac Bennett and Joe Stejskal were returned to their respective, OHL, college and USHL teams.

Philippe Lefebvre, invited for a tryout at camp, will return to Drummondville, but not before signing a three-year-deal with the Canadiens.

“It’s a big event for me,” Lefebvre said. “It means I showed some good things and I worked hard.”

Montreal Canadiens Training Camp: Day One

The stands were filled at the Montreal Canadiens training facility on Sunday. Close to 1200 fans came out to watch the team’s first day of training camp, a surprise to many newcomers to the team this year.

“That’s pretty unique,” said forward Scott Gomez. “It just shows what a great place this is.”

Gomez was paired with fellow off-season acquisition Mike Cammalleri and Andre Kostitsyn in the first day of practice, and scored during the team scrimmage.

“It’s only the first day,” he said when asked if this could be a potential starting line. “So let’s not get crazy.”

“We made some great plays out there,” said Paul Mara, another newcomer who was paired on the point with Andrei Markov for day one. “We’ll see what happens.”

Mara too was overwhelmed by the fan turnout and cheering on the first day, “It’s unbelievable,” he said. “It really welcomes you and makes you want to play in Montreal.”

“It was real fun,” added Jaroslav Spacek. “I’ve never seen something like that.”

Habs hopeful P.K. Subban laid out a couple hits, including an open ice one on Max Pacioretty, during the scrimmage.

“He’s OK.,” he said after talking to Pacioretty after practice. “I wasn’t trying to hit him. He must not have seen me coming.”

Head coach Jacques Martin wants his defenseman to join in the offensive rush whenever possible, something that would suit the young blueliner just right.

“You have to pick the right times to jump up, and when to stay back,” Subban said. “I wanna prove that I’m reliable also, and that I know that I can play and be a sound defenseman back there.”

Coach Martin seemed generally impressed with what he saw from the first day of camp, noting the physical work of Guillaume Latendresse as well as the performance of the four goalies during scrimmage.

The coach stressed, as the players had, that immediate decisions can’t be made from one practice alone.

“My approach, to our team, is we have to find two lines that are gonna give us some good production",he said.

“I’m not sure who’s going to be our first left winger or who’s going to be our fourth left winger. I think we’ve got some battles. It’s going to be up to the players to determine that.”

Martin then gave some insight into how he formulates his lines and that he will take the pre-season to work on that.

“When I look at line combinations, a lot of times I look at a duo, a center and a winger,” he said. “If we have good a combination, for instance, center and right wing, we may see a rotation on the left side, or vice-versa.”

The coach then discussed the necessities of taking the roster GM Bob Gainey put together, and getting the players all on the same page.

“It’s going to be important for us to develop our own identity,” Martin said. “..where we all have the same goal, the same objective. That’s what we’re going to develop in the next twenty days.”

Martin later emphasized puck possession, work ethic and commitment at both ends of the ice.

“We have to work at developing that mentality and identity,” he said. “It has to come from them (the players).”

“I like the enthusiasm that’s been around the team. I like our skill level.” he added. “We just gotta keep progressing.”

Training camp resumes Monday at 10am to 1pm, with a scrimmage between practice groups A and C at 11am.

Montreal Canadiens turn their heads and cough

 Exclusive photo obtained by Ya! The Habs Rule! of an unnamed training camp invitee at today’s team physical. – just kidding

The invitees to the Montreal Canadiens 2009-10 training camp reported to the Brassard practice facility for their physicals.

After they reported in, the players were out to talk to the media.

“I haven’t felt this good in a long time,” said team heavyweight Georges Laraque. “My back is good.”

“When I worked out this summer, I did a lot of stuff to get my back better. I lost a lot of weight (20 lbs) and did a lot of yoga.”

Coming in to camp at 245 pounds, Laraque is the lightest he’s played since becoming a pro. 

“Last year I was fit when I came in,” he said. “This is something I had to do for my  back to be better, and it worked. I still feel confident.”

He refused to comment on, former Hab enforcer, Gino Odjick’s remarks last week on his “fighting code” .

“We were in different times. He was in a time when there was no instigator rule and now the times are different.”

Laraque then looked at the revamped roster that GM Bob Gainey assembled over the summer.

“We’re not an old team,” he said. “(We have) a  lot of energy guys a lot of young guys, a lot of speed and we have a lot of size too so we’ll be able to play any style of game that any team will throw at us.”

“We were expecting those kind of things,” added center Maxim Lapierre referring to last season’s disappointments.

“With those changes, we’re pretty sure we’re going have the kind of team that’s gonna compete every night.”

Lapierre had surgery on his right ankle to shave off some bone. It’s still a bit sore, but it’s not expected to give him problems.

He joined winger Guillaume Latendresse, in Ottawa, this summer, training with the Canadiens new strength and conditioning coach Lorne Goldberg.

“We’re in great shape for the start of the season and we’ll just have to keep bringing it for 82 games,” he said.

“Everybody starts on the same level,” said Latendresse, noting the new roster and coaching changes.

He hopes his off-season work will earn him a position on one of the top forward lines this season and possibly see some power-play time as well.

“I’m just gonna try to show that that’s my spot and that’s where I want to play,” he said.

Latendresse was touted as a potential power forward when he was drafted, but that did not emerge under coach Guy Carbonneau.

He met with coach Jacques Martin last month and said it was a positive talk.

“He seems like a guy who knows where he’s going, he said. “I think he’s going to be ready. He really loves guys that are in shape.”

With only a trio of francophone players on the current roster, Latendresse joked that they will have to get some of the others to learn French and help them in the dressing room.

Newcomer Hal Gill seems happy with the leadership aspect of the team this season and is not concerned that the Canadiens do not have a captain yet.

“I think captain is overrated sometimes,” he said. “You don’t need a C on your jersey to be a leader.”

“There’s a lot of guys that are in a leadership position,” the big defenceman said. “It’s part of the way that management when out to get guys. I think they’ve done a good job at that.”

While he his impressed with the roster list put together, Gill made a very key comment on it, “It doesn’t matter what you see on paper. We have to put the rubber to the road.”

The veteran is looking forward to coming to the pressure cooker of Montreal after winning a Stanley Cup with Pittsburgh last season.

“Every game is a big game and you guys,of course, remind us everyday,” he said. “It would be a real special thing to have some success here.”

Gill then talked about goalie Carey Price, and saw how former teammate Marc-Andre Fleury’s early career struggles mirrored Price last season.

“He’s got a real good head on his shoulders and obviously he’s talented. We have to let him play and let him do his thing,” he said.

“He’s getting over all this attention from the media and eventually he’s just gotta do his thing and not worry about it. He’s got a good foundation.”

“My roll is to be big in front of the net and give Carey a view of the puck.” he added. “If he can’t see it, then I have to block it for him.”

Fellow blueliner Josh Gorges noted that the arrival of the new players looks to be very promising after some impromptu skating sessions.

“It’s like they’ve been here for two or three years,” he said. “They fit right in. We’re all excited to see each other again and meet the new guys.”

“There’s a buzz within the dressing room that I didn’t feel so much last year.” he added. “You can just sense it in the room that guys want to get going and want to get playing with each other here this year.”

As with Gill, Georges feels that with the current roster, a necessity of a captain is not a key concern.

“It’s gonna be big shoes to fill, there’s no question about it,” he said on the departure of Saku Koivu.

“Everyone is somewhat of a leader in the room. They lead in their own way. A captain will get appointed, but even before you put the C on, the players know who the real leaders on the team are. We’ve a lot of guys that can step up to fill that void, fill that roll, I think there has to be a group of guys that are pushing in the same direction and buying into the same system.”

Practice sessions begin Sunday morning at 10am, with the first pre-season game on Thursday against the Florida Panthers.

To start out, the team is being split into three practice squads as follows;

Team A: Goal: Missiaen, Price; Defence: Henry, Mara, Markov, Stejskal, St. Denis, Subban; Forwards: D'Agostini, Johansson, Laraque, Lapierre, Latendresse, Lefebvre, Metropolit, Russell, Stewart, Trotter.

Team B: Goal: Halak, Mayer; Defence: Anderson, Bennett, Carle, Hamrlik, Spacek, Weber; Forwards: Cammalleri, Chipchura, Conboy, Desharnais, Fortier, Glumac, Gomez, A. Kostitsyn, Pacioretty, White.

Team C: Goal: Desjardins, Sanford; Defence: Belle, Benoit, Busto, Gill, Gorges, O'Byrne; Forwards: Darche, Gionta, S. Kostitsyn, Maxwell, Moen, Neilson, Plekanec, Pyatt, Wyman.